Arthur Casson
Arthur Casson is the hereditary Comte de Rochambeau in the Royaume of Louisiana. Biography Early Life: Arthur was born on December 18, 2259 to Jérôme Devereux the Roi of The Royaume and his Mistress, Salome, Duchesse de Lafayette, wife of Duc Gene Casson. Jerome knew that Arthur was his child, but in order to keep his dynasty safe, He asked Salome to make it seem as if the child was the son of Gene Casson. When he was 5 years old, Arthur was sent as a hostage of the Royal Family in order to secure and keep the loyalty of the Duc de Lafayette who had supported Jean-Napoleon Arceneaux's father in the Civil War which almost destroyed Royaume. Despite being a hostage of the Royal Family, he was given an education that was befitting a member of the nobility. Because Arthur suffered from a club foot, he was unable to participate in any form of physical activity. On the other hand, he excelled in his studies and impressed his tutors, such as James St. Just, with his intellect and wit. He became obsessed with History and started to read many of the historical classics. These include The Wars of Justinian,by Procopius of Caesarea,The Lives of the Caesars, by Suetonius, and Parallel Lives, by Plutarch. He also became obsessed with philosophy and read many important philosophical works. These philosophical works include, Lectures on the Philosophy of History by G.W.F. Hegel, A Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding by David Hume, The History of Madness ''by Michel Foucault, ''Experience and Education ''by John Dewey, ''On Crimes and Punishments ''by Cesare Beccaria, and ''The Age of Reason ''by Thomas Paine. It was through Hegel that he learned about the dialectic, which would be major influence throughout his life. It was through ''The Age of Reason, that Arthur decided that he was a deist .He decided would keep it a secret, and would keep attending church, so he would not alienate any potential political allies. He also started to study Military Tactics and also became influenced by the Military Philosopher and Theorist, Carl von Clausewitz and his influential work On War. ''During this time, he became very close to the daughter of the Roi, Zoe Devereux and they became very close friends. They formed a sibling-like relationship, even though neither of them had an idea that were actually half-siblings. He even remained close to her after she got married to his older brother, The eldest son of the Duc de Lafayette. '''Start of Career:' When he was 18, Arthur was appointed by the Roi Jerome Devereux, to be the Chief Scholar of the Royal Library, this position would allow him to realize his dream of making the Royaume not only a great military power, but also a power where education and knowledge are just as important. Arthur began his career by doing a complete inventory of the book collection in the Royal Palace and petitioned the Roi to put the book collection in a Library where the Citizens of the Royaume, could come and gain knowledge. The Roi accepted the Arthur's request but only on the condition that members of the aristocracy would be allowed into the Royal Library. Arthur accepted the Roi's condition and so a building for the Royal Library of the Royaume was created. In 2281, after reigning for nearly 40 years, Roi Jerome Devereux died at the age of 59 and left behind a very important legacy. Arthur, was then appointed by the new Roi, Etienne Devereux to serve as the Chief Strategist for the Gendarmerie, and was installed as the Comte de Rochambeau. His mentor the Chevalier and Director-General, James St. Just sent to him to go find a suitable location for a settlement on the Mississippi River so they could build a small river port in order to create a navy for the Royaume, that would be able to patrol the waters of the Mississippi and would be able to keep the Court of the Bayou from encroaching on their land. Arthur decided on the former town of Taft, Louisiana to create a river port and a settlement that could help support it. He chose this settlement, citing its closeness to Tuloya and its proximity to U.S. 90. He then petitioned the Roi, to send 160 people and 15 Gendarmes, so he could start building up the Barony. Category:Characters